Friday, April 21, 2006

A Day Like Any Other Day

I'm delighted that Highlander opened his blog up for guest posts in the month of April. As soon as he said he wanted to do so, I knew EXACTLY what I wanted to blog about...and when.

I wanted to blog about today. About April 21st. An unassuming enough spring day, I suppose. But undeniably silky and aromatic. Wait. Strike that last part. That may have been a wine label. But here in River City, April 21st would be a very nice day, even if tomorrow wasn't the kick off for the Kentucky Derby Festival.

Now, in the past, on this date, some very cool (and some not so cool) things happened.

* April 21, 1972, saw the crew of Apollo 16 land on the moon.

* Twenty six years ago, today, Howard Stern started his radio career at WWWW in Detroit.

* On this date, in 1989, thousands of Chinese people crowded into Beijing's Tiananmen Square cheering students demanding greater political freedom.

* In 1997, on April 21st, Timothy Leary and Gene Roddenberry's ashes were launched into orbit.

* There seems to be an abundance of football players born on this day (and the fact that I've never heard of any of them really doesn't mean a thing) - Tony McGee (Cincinnati Bengals), Dwight Hollier (Miami Dolphins) and Conrad Clarks (Indianapolis Colts), to name a few.

But all of that pales in comparison to what happened on this date, one year ago.

A year ago today, something pretty spectacular happened. Maybe not to you, or her, or them. Maybe it wasn't culturally significant. Or historically significant. Or politically significant. At least not in the greater good kind of way. But it was pretty significant to me. And it was pretty significant to Highlander, too.

A year ago today, Highlander breathed his first nostril full of Ohio River Valley air. Watched the sun set in Kentucky for the first time. Ate his first meal in River City (which was subsequently followed by a hospital run, but let's not rehash that dreadful tale, k?).

None of it would have been possible, at all, had he not been courageous enough to have taken that first step. No matter how many times or ways we thought it might work, we both agreed it wasn't something we could do long distance. Moving to a place he'd only ever heard about, to embark on a new life with a middle-aged woman (and her three kids) who was just coming out of a marriage gone bad. And every time I look at it, all I can think is how very scared I would have been to do it. Had I been him, I don't know that I would have. And that's just me being honest.

I'm very glad he's cut from different stuff than I am. Very glad. I keep remembering all the admonitions I'd thrown his way. I chuckle thinking that there are some of them I'm still throwing his way. He still ignores them just as haughtily now as he did then. He's a little stubborn sometimes. Have any of you ever noticed that?

And so, because he was so sure it would be okay, so brave, in fact, I couldn't help but be less insecure about it myself. He has so eagerly settled himself in here between the mountains and mountains of my baggage. (Kind of in the corner with a pile of dirty socks, which is probably the safest place in a house full of women.) And he seems quite content...quite comfortable...to do so.

Now, technically, it was just a little more than one year ago today, when I first saw his brown-eyed handsome face. He was sitting there with a HUGE cardboard sign behind him proclaiming "Welcome Tammy". He has never stopped making me feel comfortable and "home" with him ever since. But, for the record, today is the anniversary of our official starting point.

When he and I decided to embark on a romantic relationship, we weren't sure where things would go. I like remembering how it all began. All the little intricacies of how we got from then to now. All the whimsical stories that you can hold onto as love grows and changes. Tales of cross-country moving trucks and long talks on the phone at midnight. Being older (and wiser), we are both, very much, set in our ways. Just as we are both, very much, flexible to a fault. But it's been an interesting journey. (Set the Wayback Machine for April 21, 2005, Sherman!).

No, no...I won't do it to you again. Mostly, I just wanted to say that my love for him has grown a little more each day, since that first one, and that I can't imagine a time when my heart didn't belong to him. And I don't want to think about a time when it won't belong to him. Our lives have meshed together so neatly. And we really do seem to be so good for each other. And not just the part where I like to cook and he likes to eat, either.

Sooooo, when we finally get the doctors and lawyers paid off (which should be sooner than later, actually), we plan to make a trek to the local discount jewelry store to pick up a little bling for me!

Now, it's not like he's knocked me up or anything. And, we're not rushing directly to the justice of the peace. But, we're both really happy right now, and we're ready to take things to the next level. And I wanted to share that feeling.

Today.

On our one year anniversary.

I love you, my Sweet Boy.

So, no gardening tips. No recipes. (Though if you want a really good Derby Pie recipe...and 'tis the season, folks...email me and I'll hook you up!!) And, yet, I've still crammed all the girly goodness I could into my guest post on this very un-girly blog.

12 Comments:

OVERALL good for me? Like, you know, in some ways she hasn't? No, SG has been ENTIRELY good for me. My life was wretched wreckage when I met her, and now I am enormously happy. There's no 'overall' to how good she's been for me.

Highlander - I remember getting that e-mail from you saying that you were moving up to River City to be with SG. I was the best news I'd gotten in awhile, and I was grinning for a week. Congratulations to both of you - you both deserve to be happy.

congratulations!the question is (hee, hee) has highlander been good for supergirlfriend? (smile)i think i know the answer, but i like to tease. maybe highlander could do a post about that..or about that fateful day when you first met face-to-face with the "welcome" sign! come on, highlander, tell us "the rest of the story".....

There's a certain mathematical elegance to the date as well, but all in all, the fact that it's the day two people, one of whom I'd respected and admired for years, and one I've learned to see likewise, began making each other very happy just blows that away.

Just a note to tell you all that I deeply appreciate all the support and sweet notes.

We've been spending a delightful weekend together. An excellent dinner at a neighborhood restaurant last night, that I'd never previously patronized was a very sweet and thoughtful surprise. He'd heard me mention once (and I do mean once) during a walk around the neighborhood, that the restaurant was an interesting looking place and I'd wondered aloud what it might be like. He went by a couple weeks ago, ate lunch there on his day off (to check the place out) and then made reservations for us. On an impromptu walk last night, he just stopped in there and said this is where I wanted to take you. It was probably 8 months ago when I originally mentioned the restaurant as a passing comment. But he didn't forget it. The fact that he does this stuff ALL THE TIME...that he remembers things like this...or just KNOWS things...make him an extraordinary man to be with.

Okay, okay, I'm doing it again. Sorry. I'm just incredibly happy and you should probably all be very glad you're not here to see the giddy live version of me...;)

I'm generally not one for this sort of thing.., and come to think of it I'm not sure this is much of an exception. ;)

I knew the general nature of the post before, but I hadn't really read it until today (May 2) so I didn't catch the details of where it was specifically going.

I have to admit (and I suspect H did, too, though only he can say) finding it a little difficult to swallow the "...courageous enough to have taken that first step" bit, as I found myself with the image of a rescue copter offering an airlift and asylum in a new country to someone locked in the hold of a ship nearly engulfed in flames at midnight in the middle of the North Atlantic. Being liberated from a cell and a life sentence by an angel comes to mind, too.

Oh, I know what you meant -- who knew what sort of whacko you might turn out to be -- but I have to believe you were a glaringly clear choice.

All that aside -- it's not terribly important now -- it all seems to be working out well for the group of you, so it's a Good Thing.

I still can't get past a White woman saying "bling," though... It's not as bad as hearing one address someone as "girlfriend", but it's close. ;)